The UK death toll from Coronavirus has now more than 44,000, which means over an estimated 220,000 people are currently grieving in lockdown. As a result, Sue Ryder has seen a significant spike in the need for its bereavement support, including the charity’s free Online Bereavement Counselling Service and Online Bereavement Community.

Meet Lucy Sansom, a Palliative Care Social Worker at Sue Ryder Duchess of Kent Hospice. She provides social care support to patients, families and carers at the hospice and in the community. Here, Lucy talks us through a day in her life.

Meet Sue Ryder St John’s Family Support Team, a multi-disciplinary team who support people from diagnosis onwards, during life-limiting conditions, and we also offer bereavement support after a loved one has died.

At sixteen, Jess Bacon tragically lost her Dad. Here, she describes her struggles with depression and communicating about her loss, the silence of those around her who were scared to say the wrong thing and the liberating power of reaching out to people for support; 'Even if it's just to one person, or just one word, say something.'

Lee Jackson signed up for a trek to the Great Wall of China after his mum Jean received end-of-life care at Sue Ryder’s Manorlands Hospice. He explains why he was determined to give back to the Manorlands team who cared for Jean, how his trip turned out to be a cathartic experience and how comforting Manorlands' bereavement counselling has been for him since Jean's death.

In response to the survey commissioned by Sue Ryder, we are launching our #JustSaySomething campaign in a bid to encourage everyone to open up about grief and bereavement, enabling a more honest, supportive grieving process for those affected and people supporting them.

Volunteers and staff at Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice have received an early Christmas present with the news that over £103,000 has been raised for local families needing their expert and compassionate care at this year’s Starlight Hike.

Today is Human Rights Day, a day that celebrates the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. In her latest blog, our Human Rights Lead, Jacqui Graves, explains how we are asking party leaders to commit to protecting human rights in the UK.

This week sees the UK’s first ever National Grief Awareness Week, encouraging us all to #OpenUpToGrief and break the taboo around death and bereavement, for a more open discussion of a subject which affects us all at some time in our lives.

When someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, how do you break the news to them and their family? Dr Paul Perkins, Chief Medical Director, explains in his blog that there are no right or wrong answers, and it's the human connection which counts.